1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, generally, to a system and method for awarding prizes in a contest in a manner that is sufficiently based on the relative skill of the contestants rather than on chance, and in particular embodiments, to a system and method for awarding prizes to players of an interactive game show which is based on a pre-recorded game show.
2. Description of Related Art
Prizes may be awarded in contests in a variety of ways. Generally, methods for awarding prizes may be categorized as a sweepstakes or a game of skill. In a sweepstakes, winners of the contest are determined based on chance. An example of a sweepstakes is a lottery. There is no skill involved in a lottery because winners are determined randomly or by chance. Conversely, in a game of skill, prizes are awarded generally based on the relative skill of the contestants.
For an entity hosting a contest, while it may be important to choose a prizing structure that entices people to participate in the contest, certain prizing structures may be illegal. For example, laws in some jurisdictions may restrict contests with certain types of prizing structures in which the outcome is determined based on chance. In particular, some jurisdictions may restrict chance-based contests in which contestants pay a fee to enter to the contest and where prizes are awarded in the contest. Thus, for an entity desiring to host a contest on a pay-per-play basis, it may be desirable that the contest not be deemed a game of chance. Accordingly, an entity hosting such a contest may prefer that prizes be awarded in the contest, to an acceptable extent, based on the relative skill of the contestants.
An example of a game of skill may be a television game show. Generally, the contestants on a game show use their skill or knowledge to accumulate points. Such a game show may be deemed a game of skill because the winner is the contestant who accumulates the most skill-based or knowledge-based points. However, if a winner were selected randomly, irrespective of how many points the various contestants had accumulated, then the contest may be deemed a game of chance. Even in a game of skill, however, a certain amount of chance may be involved in selecting a winner. Accordingly, an entity hosting a contest on a pay-per-play basis in which prizes are awarded may need to consider, with reference to the laws of a particular jurisdiction, whether a given contest may be deemed a game of skill or a game of chance.
With the advent of interactive television, a television game show may be created in which viewers may play along with the game show and compete against other viewers. In this context, interactive television generally refers to a configuration in which a viewer is able to receive a television broadcast as well as have access to a return channel. A return channel is a way for a viewer to communicate back to a content provider.
An example of an implementation of a return channel is synchronized television. Companies, including GoldPocket Interactive of Medford, Mass., or Spiderdance, Inc., of Venice, Calif., have developed synchronized television systems (also known as a two-screen experience) in which a viewer may use a personal computer connected to the Internet to view a web-page that is synchronized to a particular pre-recorded television program. Another company, Wink Communications, Inc., of Alameda, Calif., provides viewers with a return channel through a set top box (STB) by way of a modem connected to a telephone line. In a system like the Wink system, a viewer may use a remote control device and a STB to communicate back to a service provider, usually in response to graphics that are displayed on a television screen.
One problem that may be associated with interactive game shows is that a viewer may be able to learn the answers to puzzles in the show before playing the game. For example, because a pre-recorded game show may be broadcast in the same time slot in different time zones, a viewer may have access to the puzzles and the answers to the puzzles before actually viewing the show or playing along with the show. More specifically, a viewer may confer with other viewers located in later time zones who were shown puzzle answers in a previous airing of the show. Similarly, with a digital television recording medium, a viewer may be able to rewind a television program while it is being broadcast to learn the answers. Accordingly, even though television viewers may have access to a return channel through which they may provide responses to game show puzzles, a true skill-based competition has proven elusive.
In some interactive game shows, a content provider may desire to award prizes to viewers who play along with a show in order to entice viewers to continue to watch and play along with the show. A content provider may also desire to charge viewers to play along with a game show (pay-per-play). However, as discussed above, some jurisdictions may restrict the awarding of prizes based on pay-per-play games of chance. If answers to puzzles in a particular game show are sufficiently available before the show is broadcast, then the show may be effectively reduced to a game of chance. If puzzle answers are sufficiently available, then multiple viewers could have all of the correct answers without exhibiting any particular skill and many perfect scores may be achieved without appreciable skill involved.
In co-pending patent application Ser. No. 10/134,203, filed Apr. 25, 2002, Attorney Docket No. 041892-0219, which is incorporated herein by reference, a system and method are disclosed for broadcasting a pre-recorded program with additional content items to give viewers a more individualized experience. In the context of an interactive game show, for example, a viewer may play along with the contestants on a pre-recorded program and intermittently respond to additional individualized bonus puzzles presented during the program. The individualized bonus puzzles may be unavailable (or not sufficiently available) to individual viewers in advance of an airing or viewing of the game show. In this manner, viewer answers to bonus questions are more likely skill-based than chance-based. However, if prizes are awarded based only on a viewer""s responses to the bonus puzzles, then a viewer""s interest in the game may diminish.
Therefore, it is an advantage of embodiments of the invention that a system and method for awarding prizes in a contest may result in a contest being deemed a game of skill, even where the contest includes some sub-contests that may have been available to contestants before the contest is played. In such embodiments, the winners of the contest may be determined sufficiently based on the relative skill of the contestants.
It is a further advantage of embodiments of the invention to provide a system and method for awarding prizes in an interactive game show, while allowing at least some of the effect of real time interactivity to produce a level of excitement and continued motivation to play the game. In embodiments of the invention, viewers may have a sensation of playing along with pre-recorded contestants because parts of the game show may be pre-recorded. A viewer""s experience may be enhanced because the viewer may receive points for correctly responding to the pre-recorded puzzles.
It is a further advantage of embodiments of the invention that, even though contestants may be awarded points for responding to pre-recorded puzzles, the contest may still be deemed a game of skill. If a contest is deemed a game of skill, then an entity hosting the contest may be able to charge contestants a certain amount to participate in the contest. In addition, an entity hosting such a contest may be able to award prizes to contestants without the contest being deemed a game of chance.
Embodiments of the invention may be implemented, for example, in the context of an interactive television game show. In an interactive television environment, viewers may have access to a return channel. Therefore, in an interactive game show, viewers may be able to communicate responses to puzzles to a content provider, and to compete with other viewers. Also, in an interactive game show, pre-recorded puzzles may be presented to viewers along with additional bonus puzzles. The bonus puzzles may be sufficiently unique to different viewers such that they are not likely available in advance of the viewer""s game playing experience. In an interactive game show embodiment, points may be awarded to viewers for correctly solving both the pre-recorded puzzles as well as the bonus puzzles. It is an advantage of these embodiments that the points awarded may be weighted such that the outcome of the contest sufficiently correlates with the viewers"" performance on the bonus puzzles, such that the contest itself may be deemed a game of skill.
In further embodiments of the invention, a multi-tiered prizing structure may be employed. A first tier may be established such that a winner may be determined based on the contestants"" relative skill. Other tiers may be added that are based on other criteria. For example, in the case of an interactive game show, a first tier might rank contestants based solely on their responses to the bonus puzzles. A second tier may, for example, rank contestants on other criteria, such as their responses to the pre-recorded puzzles, the time taken to respond to the pre-recorded puzzles, the time taken to respond to the bonus puzzles, or the like. Multiple tiers may be employed and a variety of criteria used.
Also, embodiments of a prizing structure may combine a skill component and a sweepstakes component. For example, a first tier may be established as described above which includes all contestants who score more than a particular number of points. Within the first tier, a winner or winners may be selected pseudo-randomly. An advantage of such embodiments is that an entire group of players may be motivated to continue competing even if they do not believe they are capable of achieving the highest score.
In yet further embodiments of the invention, a group of contestants may be divided into sub-groups and prizes awarded within the various groups. Accordingly, contestants may be divided into sub-groups based on a variety of criteria, including, but limited to, geographic region or time zone, amount paid to play the game, frequency of play, or the like. A prizing structure may be employed within each sub-group so that winners may still be determined sufficiently based on the relative skill of the contestants.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention, when read with the drawings and appended claims.